The upcoming horror movies on the dark horizon are poised to bring audiences a varied mix of scares to terrify and entertain in equal measure throughout the year.
We’re getting comedies in the shape of Lisa Frankenstein, Beetlejuice 2 and the newest instalment of the Ghostbusters franchise; terrifying puppets, games and toys from Stopmotion, Tarot and Imaginary; occult goings-on with Late Night with the Devil and The First Omen; toothy undead action from Abigail and Nosferatu; alien action sequels with A Quiet Place: Day One and Alien: Romulus; eerie weirdness from Cuckoo and Longlegs; and the worst of human awfulness with latest from The Strangers, the Speak No Evil remake and Terrifier 3.
Big names are returning to helm some of these upcoming horror movies, including Tim Burton, Robert Eggers, Fede Alvarez, and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, as well as first-time directors taking a debut dip into the darkest of genres like Zelda Williams, Robert Morgan and Arkasha Stevenson. And with seasoned genre stars like Bill Skarsgard, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Carla Gugino, David Dasmalchian, Ralph Ineson, Olwen Fouere, Alex Wolff and Maika Monroe all taking their place back on the big screen amongst the terror, there’s a lot to look forward to for horror fans.
Below is more about the upcoming horror movies you need to keep your eyes peeled for.
Read more: Best Horror movies | Best Netflix horror movies | Movie release dates | Upcoming movies | New TV shows
Lisa Frankenstein
Release date: US out now/ March 1, 2024 (UK)
A fresh telling of the gothic classic, Lisa Frankenstein is a 1980s-set horror comedy from the mind of Diablo Cody, the acclaimed writer of Jennifer’s Body (2009), and directed by Zelda Williams in her feature debut. The film is set to be a fun, romantic, and grisly story of young love, about a teenager and her crush, who happens to be a corpse. After a set of horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a journey to find happiness – and a few missing body parts. Starring Kathryn Newton (Freaky), Carla Gugino (Gerald’s Game), and Cole Sprouse (Riverdale), this is one to keep an eye on for fans of smartly written teen horror with laughs and heart.
Imaginary
Release date: March 8, 2024
Blumhouse continue to roll out original horror narratives and with Imaginary, set to hit theaters in March, they’re taking on the supposed innocence of children’s imaginary friends. Now, as anyone who’s seen 1991’s chaotic comedy Drop Dead Fred knows, these playful entities can be anything but innocent, but Blumhouse’s new offering will go one step further and plunge playtime screaming into real darkness. The story will revolve around a woman who moves back to her childhood home with her family, where her stepdaughter finds a cuddly bear named Chauncey that encourages her to play sinister games. As her behaviour becomes more and more concerning, the family realises Chauncey is much more than the stuffed toy they believed him to be. Jeff Wadlow is back in the director’s chair for Blumhouse after 2020’s Fantasy Island, and DeWanda Wise (Someone Great, Jurassic World Dominion), Tom Payne (The Walking Dead), and Betty Buckley (Carrie, Split) all star. The trailer suggests more of the now-classic Blumhouse-style spooky sequences we’ve come to expect, and with what looks to be an impressive performance from young actress Pyper Braun, this should be a good time in the company of a creepy little bear.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Release date: March 22, 2024
The Ghostbusters are back again with this fifth entry in the ectoplasm-covered series, this time from Gil Kenan, director of 2006’s animation Monster House and writer of the previous installment, 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. With classic and modern cast members all returning including Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Ackroyd, Annie Potts, and William Atherton, plus green ghostly fave Slimer and a gang of mini Staypuft Marshmallow men, this latest installment looks like a real nostalgia-fest. When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age. Hopefully, it will be a fun and epic revisiting of so many favorite characters from one of the comedy-horror all-timers. Watch the trailer here!
Late Night With the Devil
Release date: March 22, 2024
Written and directed by Cameron and Colin Cairns and starring the captivating David Dasmalchian (The Boogeyman, The Last Voyage of the Demeter), Late Night With the Devil is a Halloween-set Ghostwatch-esque “live” television event set in the late-70s with Dasmalchian playing a bereaved talk show host desperate to revive his show’s ratings, and who in the process unwittingly unleashes evil into the nation’s living rooms. It’s a tightly scripted and beautifully realized period piece that’s full of atmosphere and plenty of genuine spooks. After a successful festival run at SXSW, BFI London Film Festival and Sitges Film Festival, Late Night With the Devil will have a cinema release in March before hitting the horror streaming service Shudder in April. Watch the chilling trailer here.
The First Omen
Release date: April 5, 2024
We’re getting a new entry to the canon of The Omen, 1976’s Richard Donner classic that starred Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, and David Warner, and gave the horror world the quintessential creepy kid, Damien the Antichrist. The franchise already includes two sequels (1978’s Damien: Omen II and 1981’s The Final Conflict) and a 2006 remake, but this new film is set to take us back to the beginning in the form of a prequel. When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. Produced by David S. Goyer (2022’s Hellraiser) and Keith Levine (The Night House), and directed by Arkasha Stevenson in her feature debut, this will hopefully be a welcome return to the occult world of the genre-defining original. Bill Nighy (Underworld, The Limehouse Golem), Ralph Ineson (The Witch,) and Nell Tiger Free (M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant) star.
Sting
Release date: April 12, 2024 (US) / May 31, 2024 (UK)
Audiences might be checking underneath their cinema seats with the release of Sting, the latest in a long line of creature features spun around spiders. Those fearful of the eight-legged creepiest of crawlies may have long avoided movies like Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), Itsy Bitsy (2019) and of course Arachnophobia (1990), but perhaps this newest iteration will be the one to catch them in its web – although the plot summary does describe it as being inspired by “one of humanity’s greatest fears … made more monstrous than ever before”, so maybe not. Sting is directed by Kiah Roache-Turner (Necrotronic) and stars Penelope Mitchell (Hellboy), Jermaine Fowler (The Blackening) and Ryan Corr (House of the Dragon). Alyla Browne plays Charlotte (could this be an E. B. White nod?), a girl whose pet spider grows to a monstrous size and begins eating the residents of their apartment block. Wait, was that something on the back of my neck?
Abigail
Release date: April 19, 2024
From Universal Pictures comes a new horror crime caper with a twist. After a group of criminals kidnaps the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. As the crew discovers they’ve actually taken a pint-sized vampire, toothy, fantastical blood and mayhem ensues. With Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – the directing duo behind Ready or Not and the two most recent Scream films – at the helm, and starring Kathryn Newton (Freaky) and Dan Stevens (The Guest), this has some promising modern horror pedigree when it comes to the brilliantly entertaining.
Cuckoo
Release date: May 3, 2024
Many horror fans have had Cuckoo in their sights since it was first announced in 2021, and it’s now due to finally have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, followed by a showing at SXSW before its theatrical release in May. Written and directed by Tilman Singer, who brought us the demonic horror Luz in 2018, and starring Hunter Schafer (Euphoria, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) and Dan Stevens (The Guest, Colossal, The Rental), this has some exciting talent involved. The film will follow Gretchen (Shafer), a 17-year-old forced to move with her family to a German mountain resort where things are not what they seem. Cuckoo is shaping up to be a mysterious and eerie look at adolescence and family secrets, and although we know little detail at the moment it’s already causing a buzz that’s bound to escalate following its impending festival appearances.
Tarot
Release date: May 10, 2024
Previously titled Horrorscope, this dark and jumpy teen horror, full of shadowy monsters, will follow a group of friends who recklessly violate the sacred rule of Tarot readings and unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death. The film appears to be built around killer set-pieces as each of the friends encounters a different card and is subjected to the horrors foretold in the mysterious deck. Directed by Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, and starring Avantika (Mean Girls), Olwen Fouere (Mandy, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Northman), and Marvel’s Jacob Batalon, Tarot will be dealt onto our cinema screens in May.
The Strangers trilogy
Release date: May 17, 2024
Bryan Bertino’s original film, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, was released in 2008 and has become one of the most notorious and beloved home invasion films to come out of the sub-genre. Ten years later we got a sequel, The Strangers: Prey At Night, which follows the further violent exploits of the psychopathic masked killers Dollface, Pin-Up Girl, and the Man in the Mask as they terrorise a whole new family – including Christina Hendricks – in a trailer park. Now the franchise continues, with three fresh films – The Strangers: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 – all helmed by director Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Deep Blue Sea). In a continuation of the first two installments, The Strangers: Chapter 1 will have a similar premise to the original, following a couple on a road-trip who spend a night in an isolated Airbnb and unfortunately encounter our three terrifying strangers – the action will carry on from there throughout the new trilogy.
The Crow
Release date: June 7, 2024
In exciting news for fans, we are getting the new version of the dark fairytale The Crow sooner than expected. Originally slated for a later release, Lionsgate have pulled it forward to hit cinemas this June. Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell, Snow White and the Huntsman) is in the director’s seat, with Bill Skarsgard (IT, Barbarian) and FKA Twigs both starring. The 1994 movie adaptation of the same name, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson and Michael Wincott has become a cult classic, beloved of goths and genre fans alike, and told the story of a murdered man who comes back to life as the undead avenger of his and his fiancée’s violent deaths. The original has also gone down in Hollywood history due to the tragic death of Lee, following an accidental on-set shooting from a special effects stunt gone wrong. This new film will be a modern re-imagining of the iconic character Eric Draven (Skarsgard), based on the source comic books by James O’Barr.
A Quiet Place: Day One
Release date: June 28, 2024
From director Michael Sarnoski, who brought us the violent culinary Nicolas Cage vehicle Pig in 2021, A Quiet Place: Day One serves as a prequel to the 2018 horror smash hit original and its sequel in 2020. This third film in the series about a world where humans are pitted against blind but noise-sensitive creatures will star Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond, who also made a brief appearance in A Quiet Place Part 2), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, Overlord), Alex Wolff (Hereditary, Old) and Lupita Nyong’o (Us, Little Monsters). With the tagline “Hear how it all began” and a trailer teasing a proper action-packed alien invasion, this will be a return to the start of a series that audiences have become invested in and an end-of-the-world monster movie that may be this summer’s big horror blockbuster.
Longlegs
Release date: July 12, 2024
In this new psychological horror written and directed by Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel), and starring Maika Monroe (It Follows, The Guest, Watcher), Nicholas Cage (Mandy, Renfield) and Alicia Witt (Urban Legend), FBI Agent Lee Harker (Monroe) is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that reveals evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again. Longlegs has been causing quite a stir online since the release of its creepy and enigmatic marketing campaign. The trailer and posters denote odd symbols, violent imagery, jarring editing, and a droning score, and promise a terrifying and stylish shocker, with potential vibes of Zodiac and The Silence of the Lambs.
Speak No Evil
Release date: September 13, 2024
This American remake of the acclaimed 2022 Danish shocker is coming to cinemas in August from Universal and Blumhouse, and has recently received a rating of ‘R’ from the Motion Picture Association (MPA), hopefully promising the Stateside version will not be pulling any punches, just like the original most certainly did not. The film will be a retelling of the terrifying story of a family invited to spend a weekend in an idyllic country house, going from a dream vacation to a psychological nightmare. James Watkins (Eden Lake, The Woman in Black) is in the director’s chair, and James McAvoy (Split) and Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate, The Turning) will star. Hollywood remakes of recent smash hit horrors can be touch and go, but with Christian and Mads Tafdrup – the director and writer of the original, respectively – on writing duties alongside Watkins, this could prove to be a worthwhile stab at bringing the tale of socially-awkward scares to a wider audience.
Alien: Romulus
Release date: August 16, 2024
Sci-horror fans are in for a treat this summer with a brand new film in the Alien franchise directed by prolific genre creator Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe). This will be the first entry into the enduring Xenomorph canon since 2017’s Alien: Covenant and the action will reportedly be a stand-alone story taking place directly after the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 original and before James Cameron’s sequel Aliens (1986). Excitingly, the effects team behind the terrifying extraterrestrials in Cameron’s space action masterpiece is returning to create the aliens in Romulus so there’s potential for the practical here. The cast features some interesting stars not necessarily previously known for their genre work, including Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny, Isabella Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold), and David Jonsson (Rye Lane), and although the film was originally slated as a Hulu exclusive it’s now looking like it will get a cinema release in mid-August.
Beetlejuice 2
Release date: September 6, 2024
Get ready to don your finest black and white stripes and practice your best Harry Belafonte, as Tim Burton is set to bring one of his most iconic characters back to the big screen, with a sequel to his 1988 horror comedy Beetlejuice. The stacked cast includes Michael Keaton who is returning to the title role as the grotesque and hilarious ‘bio-exorcist’, with Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara also reprising their parts from the original film, plus Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, and Justin Theroux. Not a whole lot is known yet about the specific story of the follow-up but audiences should expect distinctive Burton aesthetics, camp and kooky antics from offbeat characters, and hopefully at least one bizarre toe-tapping musical number. This should be a fun and creepy legacy sequel to help get us in the mood in the run-up to the spooky season.
Terrifier 3
Release date: October 25, 2024
If you’re a horror fan, you might have had long lost friends get in touch at one point last year just to ask you if you had managed to catch a certain murderous clown movie. Art the Clown, the sadistic villain of Terrifier 2, apparently had cinemagoers requiring (helpfully branded) sick bags. The hype, not to put too fine a point on it, was real. And it’s impossible to argue with the figures. Terrifier 2 – a fun, gory, if overly long throwback slasher movie – cost only $250,0000 to make but grim reaped a cool $15 million at the global box office. Hence Terrifier 3, which will debut exclusively on US horror streaming service Screambox.
As reported by Bloody Disgusting, director Damien Leone is excited to bring even more extremity to the series for this threequel. “Aside from a yearning for new and exciting horror villains like Art the Clown, a large part of Terrifier 2’s success was based on its unprecedented theatrical release and its uncompromising nature. It’s pretty clear that we’re now entering a slasher genre renaissance; perhaps the biggest one since the ’90s. Filmmakers like myself are gonna have to keep pushing the envelope so it’s encouraging when a company respects a director’s vision and understands what makes a certain type of film successful.”
Nosferatu
Release date: December 25, 2024
We’ve been teased with Robert Eggers’ adaptation of Nosferatu for a while now. First it was happening, then it wasn’t, then it was, and now we’ve finally gotten a first look! Following the 1922 classic directed by F.W. Murnau and the 1979 remake from Werner Herzog, Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman) is officially bringing his version of one of the most genuinely chilling vampire tales to the big screen – and it’s gearing up to continue the tradition of Count Orlok being a truly terrifying monster. The chameleonic Bill Skarsgard (IT, Barbarian) will embody Orlok this time around, alongside another impressive Eggers’ ensemble including Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Ineson, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. We can’t wait to sink our teeth into this one!
MaXXXine
Release date: TBC
Aside from a teaser trailer and a handful of images, we know relatively little about the upcoming third part in Ti West’s X trilogy, although the plot synopsis promises that the film will center around Maxine, the only survivor of the bloody incidents of the first film, as she continues her journey towards fame as an adult film actress in mid-80s Los Angeles. Mia Goth returns following her resplendent turns in 2022’s X and follow-up Pearl, and will be joined by Michelle Monaghan (Nanny, The Craft: Legacy), Elizabeth Debicki (Widows, Tenet), Lily Collins (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile), Kevin Bacon (Friday the 13th, Hollow Man) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad). The film is currently in post-production.
The Toxic Avenger
Release date: TBC
The reboot of the 1984 Troma Entertainment comedy-horror cult classic got its world premier at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in September 2023 and although we don’t yet have a confirmed release date, this should be one on the radar for anyone with a penchant for schlocky gore, quirky comedy, and practical effects. Macon Blair, best known as the director of 2017’s indie favourite I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore and his acting turns in a whole host of genre fair including Blue Ruin, Green Room, and The Hunt, feels like a safe pair of hands for this retelling of the tale of The Toxic Avenger – a mutated anti-hero who wields a deadly mop. Peter Dinklage is in the title role, starring alongside Kevin Bacon, Jacob Tremblay, and Elijah Wood, with the teaser trailer seemingly promising that this new version will lose none of the humor and chaos of the original. Here’s hoping we get to revel in all its frenetic, jaw-ripping action sooner rather than later.
Salem’s Lot
Release date: TBC
Just when you didn’t think there could be any more Stephen King adaptations, another tome is added to the ‘time for a remake’ shelf. And this time, it’s a heavy hitter. For those of a certain age, one of the most terrifying horror moments lurks in Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot TV series from 1979 as a vampire child arrives at a window asking to be let in…. This means no pressure for Conjuring Universe staple Gary Dauberman on both directing and screenplay duties. The good news is that given that he is also responsible for the screenplay of both parts of IT, Dauberman already has keen King conversion chops. The similar ‘terror in a small town’ theme of Salem’s Lot as a vampire holes up in the old house on the hill could mean very good things. There’s been no official reveal of a poster or trailer but the art above was revealed after a tie-in edition of the book was spotted online. The movie was initially meant to release in 2022 but New Line has since added a new 2023 release date and cruelly taken it away again. As it stands, you’ve got a little longer to prep your garlic.
The LaLaurie Mansion Series
Release date: TBC
Whether it’s a good thing or not, we now live in a world where entire franchises are announced before even the first movie has been released. The writers of the first two The Conjuring movies, Chad and Carey Hayes, have teamed up again and revealed an entire series of horror movies revolving around the infamous LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans. Once home to none other than Nic Cage, who allegedly only lasted one night of horrific screams and bumps in the night, this grim abode is said to be one of the most haunted locations in the world. The good news is that if you’ve done your horror homework and watched American Horror Story Coven, you’ll already know its most villainous resident.
Played by Kathy Bates in AHS, Madame LaLaurie was both a New Orleans socialite and horrific 19th century serial killer, responsible for the horrific torture, mutilation and murder of a number of Black slaves. Her secret was only revealed when a fire broke out at her mansion and firefighters discovered some of her barely alive victims in diabolical states.
Not content with just one movie, the Hayes brothers are going to tell multiple stories of the mansion throughout history, from its horrific beginnings, all the way to modern day. Plus, they’re considering writing some of it from inside the house. “We love writing films in which we get to tell true stories – incorporating moments that people can look up and discover did in fact happen,” they announced in a press release. “With the LaLaurie House we get to do exactly that… there is a wealth of documentation of a very dark and frightening past of true events. Not to mention that after spending some time there, what we personally experienced was truly unnerving. We haven’t been this excited about a project since The Conjuring!”
